Watch: Superb (and Rare) Round Double-Barrel Hoenig Rifle/Shotgun
Russ Chastain 03.21.17
Guns are great, and I still live by my late father’s motto: If it shoots, I like it. But honestly, the edge can kinda wear off after a few decades. How many guns with typical actions can a fella fall in love with? (Yeah, I know the correct answer is “All of them.”)
Maybe it’s just the innovation and creativity that’s gone into this fine firearm that turns me on. Or maybe it’s the fact that every one of the guns are hand-made and the achingly slow rate of five per year.
Whatever the case, I like this gun a lot. And I’m sure I’ve seen it before since it’s been around since 1992, but until now I’ve never noted the way it operates.
It’s an over/under double-barrel long gun, which can be a shotgun or a rifle. Instead of relying on a lever and retracting block to open or close the action, you rotate the receiver & barrel 1/4 turn, then pull them apart and hinge them open. This is how you load or unload it, remove empty cases or spent shotgun shells, etc.
To disassemble the barrels from the receiver, you simply hinge it most of the way open, slide the extractor rearward, and slide the barrel assembly forward.
No separate forend, no mechanism in the forend to maintain, no lever to get hung up on vines or clothing as you hunt, and one heck of a strong design.
Yes, it’s official. I want one.
But since there are only five made each year, the chances of me being able to afford one are probably not as good as those of hitting the lottery for a few million. For example, the Blue Book of Gun Values states that the base price for a double shotgun is $22,500. And if you want a double rifle, that’ll start at $27,500 (add $5,000 if you want it chambered for magnum cartridges).
